Chairman of the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Anambra State, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, has dismissed claims in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari has anointed one of the 12 contenders for the ticket.

Shettima spoke ahead of the exercise, holding today in the state capital, Awka, when he on Friday led a delegation of the party’s aspirants to the state police command. He declared that neither President Buhari nor the party leadership has any preferred aspirant, saying that the party would rather work for the emergence of the most popular aspirant.

Shettima announced that the party is irrevocably committed to the conduct of a free and fair primary.

His words: “It is truly a family affair and whoever wins, it is considered that APC won.

“Anybody that says we have a candidate from Abuja is merely playing politics. The President is a democrat who believes in the supremacy of ‘one man, one vote’.

“There is no anointed candidate and the party, too, has none. We urge you all to work as a team through the primary election and also at the main election.”

Earlier in his speech, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Umar, assured the delegation that his Command had made adequate security arrangement for the election and called on the aspirants to shun violence during the exercise.

The Commissioner said: “We urge you to conduct yourselves with decorum and do not bring thugs to the venue, as we are providing you with all the security that you need.

“We will only allow delegates that are rightfully accredited by the panel; so, tell your supporters, if they are not delegates, they have no business at the venue.”

He further provided three hotlines to the aspirants to reach security personnel in case of any breach of the law.

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